Functional Differential Geometry

Functional Differential Geometry

Functional Differential Geometry

An explanation of the mathematics needed as a foundation for a deep understanding of general relativity or quantum field theory. Physics is naturally expressed in mathematical language. Students new to the subject must simultaneously learn an idiomatic mathematical language and the content that is expressed in that language. It is as if they were asked to read Les Misérables while struggling with French grammar. This book offers an innovative way to learn the differential geometry needed as a foundation for a deep understanding of general relativity or quantum field theory as taught at the college level. The approach taken by the authors (and used in their classes at MIT for many years) differs from the conventional one in several ways, including an emphasis on the development of the covariant derivative and an avoidance of the use of traditional index notation for tensors in favor of a semantically richer language of vector fields and differential forms. But the biggest single difference is the authors' integration of computer programming into their explanations. By programming a computer to interpret a formula, the student soon learns whether or not a formula is correct. Students are led to improve their program, and as a result improve their understanding.

Bifurcation Theory of Functional Differential Equations

This book provides a crash course on various methods from the bifurcation theory of Functional Differential Equations (FDEs). FDEs arise very naturally in economics, life sciences and engineering and the study of FDEs has been a major source of inspiration for advancement in nonlinear analysis and infinite dimensional dynamical systems. The book summarizes some practical and general approaches and frameworks for the investigation of bifurcation phenomena of FDEs depending on parameters with chap. This well illustrated book aims to be self contained so the readers will find in this book all relevant materials in bifurcation, dynamical systems with symmetry, functional differential equations, normal forms and center manifold reduction. This material was used in graduate courses on functional differential equations at Hunan University (China) and York University (Canada).